1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is concerned with aircraft-stores suspension and release equipment. More particularly, it is concerned with a mechanism that carries stores and releases them under controlled and repeatable conditions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Engineers have long been faced with problems associated with the carriage, and, ultimately, safe separation and accurate delivery of weapons, including bombs, rockets and missiles, from underneath an aircraft. The size, shape, weight, location of the center of gravity and whether the store has fins or canards all cause variations in the loads generated and the separation characteristics, not to mention the aircraft's velocity and angle of attack.
Early suspension and release mechanisms were simple hooks on the underside of the craft, they were manually operated, and relied upon gravity to force the weapons away. As aircraft speeds increased, positive separation became necessary to prevent the store from striking the aircraft.